Bixenman was born in Orange County, California. His parents divorced when he was quite young, and he lived with his mother, Carrie Diaz. After finishing high school, Bixenman went to University of California to major in English. Jacob’s elder sister is Angelina Fisher. His elder brother, Taylor Bixenman, died in January 2018. Jacob has a tattoo "Tay" on his finger, dedicated to Taylor. Bixenman came out as gay in 2015. He dated Australian singer and actor Troye Sivan in February 2016, and made the relationship public in 2017.